Paper folding machine



May 29, 1934. o. KLEINSCHMIT ET AL PAPER FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet Fig. 3.

INVENTORS' file in-S'ckfizil' Oscar Max A T TOR/VL'YE May 29, 1934- 0. KLEINSCHMIT El AL 1,961,000

I PAPER FOLDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wwayrms A T TORNE Y6 Patented May 29, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC Plagwitz, Germany,

assignors to Gebruder Brehmer, Leipzig-Plagwitz, Germany Application January 12,

1933, Serial No. 651,426

In Germany January 29, 1932 6 Claims.

It is the general practice at the present time, when it is desired to form folds in sheets of paper fed in continuous sequence to the folding mechanism, to adopt the well known buckle folding process in which the sheets are carried successively with hardly any interval into pockets until they contact with an adjustable stop whereby they are buckled and then drawn between the pair of folding rollers, adjacent the mouth of the pocket,

10 which form the fold. If folds at right angles to these folds, or longitudinal folds, are then desired it is necessary to divert the folded sheet: so that they may travel in a path at right angles to the original direction by means of suitable conveyors to be fed to the pockets and rollers or folding knife and roller mechanism whereby the longitudinal folds are effected. This method has several disadvantages and not only requires a considerable outlay but also a great deal of space for the necessary apparatus and the main object of the present improvements is to provide a method of folding sheets in continuous sequence which is simple and inexpensive and obviates the disadvantage of the methods at present in use.

According to this invention the sheets to be folded are fed beneath a stationary wedge-shaped guide or knife disposed above a pair of folding rollers whereby they are pressed down and drawn between the rollers and folded thereby along the line of contact of the edge of the knife with the sheet. The blade of the knife is preferably so shaped that the sheet is not pressed between the rollers until the whole of the sheet lies beneath the knife.

A constructional form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation.

Figure 2 a plan, and

Figure 3 a cross section on the line AB of Figure 1.

Similar letters of referenc' relate to like parts in allthe three figures, and it will be appreciated from Figures 1 and 2 thereof how successive folds are produced in the sheet by the ordinary buckle folding process.

The sheet is fed from the table a between the rollers b and 0 into the pocket d until it strikes the stop 2, and is then drawn between the first 0 pair of folding rollers c and 1 into the next pocket, and this series of operations is repeated according to the number of pockets and as often as may be required, the folded sheets leaving the final set of folding rollers k and 0 being deposited on the conveyor tapes 1). By these means the sheets are fed beneath the stationary wedge-shaped guide or knife q, disposed immediately above the folding rollers u and 1) that are constantly rotated in opposite directions. The knife q is preferably formed as shown with an offset fore part r, and this part r is comparatively shallow, so leaving a space below its edge to facilitate the introduction of the sheet travelling on the tapes p to the edge s of the knife q. From the end of the part 1" the knife q is gradually increased in depth so 65 that the edge s forms a gradual inclination and terminates in a downwardly extended hump or protuberance 31. It will be clear that the transversely folded sheets travelling on the tapes 1) beneath the inclined edge s of the knife q will be gradually pressed downwards towards the rollers u and o, and on reaching the protuberance 81 they are actually pressed between these rollers and a longitudinal fold is formed in each sheet along the line of contact of the edge s of the knife q with the sheet, the folded sheets being delivered on to the band 11).

' In the event of the thickness of the paper requiring it, this folding line may be definitely marked by mounting a grooving wheel on, or adso jacent to, the roller 0.

The knife q is secured to the cross bars h by means of the clamp brackets m, and is preferably adjustably mounted in these brackets, the front part of the knife being pivotally "carried on the 5 pin t while the rear part is adjustably secured to the bracket m by means of an ordinary pin-andslot connection 1'.

To guide the sheets in their travel beneath the knife q, and to facilitate their passage between the folding rollers u and v, a number of freely rotatable balls 0: are mounted above the tapes 1) adjacent to the rollers u and u so that they can. roll freely in contact with the travelling sheets between the side bars y and z of the housings 21 that are clamped to one of the cross-bars h. Stops n clamped to the side bars y or 2 limit the movements of each of the balls .1: in the longitudinal direction.

What we claim is:-

1. The method of folding sheets in continuous sequence characterized by the use of a pair of folding rollers comprising feeding the sheets in a direction parallel to the axes of the rollers and simultaneously gradually guiding each sheet to- 1 5 wards the rollers and between the rollers.

2. The method of folding sheetsin continuous sequence characterized by the use of a pair of folding rollers comprising feeding the sheets in a direction parallel to the axes of the rollers 110 and simultaneously gradually guiding each sheet during its initial feeding movement towards the rollers and guiding each sheet between the rollers as it approaches the limit of its feeding movement.

3. In a paper folding machine, a pair of folding rollers, means for feeding sheets of paper in a direction parallel to the axes of the folding rollers, and means disposed above the rollers for creasing the sheets during the feeding movement thereof and for directing the creased sheets between the rollers, said creasing and directing means being disposed progressively closer to the folding rollers in the direction of the feeding movement of the sheets.

4. In a paper folding machine, a pair of folding rollers, means for feeding sheets of paper in a direction parallel to the axes of the folding rollers, and means disposed above the rollers for creasing the sheets during the feeding movement thereof and for directing the creased sheets between the rollers, said creasing and directing means being disposed progressively closer to the folding rollers in the direction of the feeding movement of the sheets, and adjusting means for moving said creasing and di ecting means towards and from said rollers.

5. In a paper folding machine, a pair of folding rollers, means for feeding sheets of paper in a direction parallel to the axes of the folding rollers, and means disposed above the rollers for creasing the sheets during the feeding movement thereof and for directing the creased sheets between the rollers, said' creasing and directing means being disposed progressively closer to the folding rollers in the direction of the feeding movement of the sheets, and a grooving wheel to define the line on which the sheets are to be folded.

6. In a paper folding machine, a pair of folding rollers, means for feeding sheets of paper in a direction parallel to the axes of the folding rollers, and a guide disposed above the rollers for creasing the sheets during the feeding movement thereof and for directing the creased sheets between the rollers, said guide having its sheet engaging portion disposed progressively closer to the folding rollers in the direction of the feeding movement of the sheets and terminating in a downwardly extending protuberance.

OSCAR KLEINSCHMIT. MAX APITZSCH. 

